Writing Reflection 2
1.0
Race is a way to classify and stratify groups of a person based on skin color. It is a social construct, which varies from time and place, used by one group about another. It is not a biological concept and is real but not imaginary, as many people think. Race, in most cases, happens in many aspects of individuals or groups of a person’s daily life, such as in the education sector, employment, residential areas, and political fields.
2.0
Robert argued race is a political category because race has been used in the determination of political decisions. When Obama was elected as the United States president, it was viewed as to end of race or post-race era because he was black. The United States is majorly politically divided along the racial lines, and the outcome of any presidential election is dependent on the race. How the political parties instigate the race’s narrative is significant because of the direction of any nation.
3.0
The government plays an essential role in the creation of a racial wealth gap for any nation. For instance, in the court cases of Ozawa, Thind, and Yup. In the Ozawa case, the justices argued that Japanese individuals are not Caucasian and, therefore, not eligible for naturalization. They used a science-based explanation to support their claim. On the other hand, justices in the Thind case rejected this case and science-based definitions since science classified Asians Indians as Caucasians. Their rationale was that there was a common man understanding of who was white and who was not, and therefore Thind was not white because he was an Asian Indian. These Supreme Court decisions defined the government’s role in creating racial wealth gap. The racial wealth gap is greatly affected by the inequalities in these public sectors: per capita income, employment opportunities, residential, education, and healthcare disparities. The government hasn’t put effort into compacting these disparities and has greatly plated a significant role in creating the racial wealth gap.
4.0
Racial discrimination is a significant concern in any nation. There are various forms of racial discrimination; one can be subjected to an individual, institutional, and structured discrimination. These forms of discrimination are based on the power between the dominant group, which in most cases has the most power, and the minority group, which on the other hand, has less or lack power. Individual discrimination has been defined as one member of a certain race’s behavior meant to have a disparity or damaging effect on the members of another race. In this case, personal responsibilities are very crucial in the spread of racism in society. Secondly, institutional discrimination refers to policies by dominant race institutions that are implemented to have a harmful and differential consequence on a minority race. In most cases, these institutions are essential for survival, such as healthcare systems, education, and employment sectors (industries and government offices). Thirdly, structured discrimination refers to race-neutral strategies created by institutions that have a harmful or differential effect on a minority race. Therefore, discrimination has a tremendous impact on the relationship between the dominant and minority race, and in most cases, it is fueled by the need to control power. Though discrimination based on race might not end now, there is a need to have good intentions to fight future discrimination.